Six Lehigh University professors have been named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors. The 2025 cohort comprises 162 academic inventors representing 64 NAI Member Institutions across the United States. Collectively, they are named inventors on over 1200 U.S. patents. “This year’s class comes from a multitude of impressive fields and research backgrounds from across the world,” said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. “We applaud their pursuit of commercialization to ensure their groundbreaking technologies ...

A team of researchers has outlined a new approach for better understanding the depths of animal consciousness, a method that may yield new insights into the similarities and differences among living organisms.   The essay, which appears in the journal Science, describes a “marker method” that scientists can use to assess animal consciousness. It involves identifying behavioral and anatomical features associated with conscious processing in humans and searching for similar properties in nonhumans. By making progress in the science of animal consciousness, the authors propose, we can make progress on foundational questions about the nature of consciousness, ...

Inspired by the cooperation of cells in tissues, researchers have developed a robotic collective system capable of transitioning between rigid and solid structures that can also support hundreds of times its own weight. The advancement overcomes a core challenge in the development of so-called “robotic materials” – cohesive networks of individual robotic units that function as a single dynamic, adaptive structure. Realizing these systems presents a fundamental challenge: this “material” must at once be strong and stiff enough to support loads, ...

A novel machine learning framework – Mal-ID – can decipher an individual’s immune system’s record of past infections and diseases, according to a new study, providing a powerful tool with the potential for diagnosing autoimmune disorders, viral infections, and vaccine responses with precision. Traditional clinical diagnostic methods for autoimmune diseases or other immunological pathologies tend to rely on a combination of physical examination, patient history, and various laboratory testing for cellular or molecular abnormalities – a lengthy process often complicated by initial misdiagnoses and ambiguous systems. These approaches make limited use of data from ...

Researchers have reported a method for breaking down commercial polymers like Plexiglass into monomers, a form more desirable for reuse. This could help alleviate the growing plastic waste stream. Most current plastic recycling methods rely on macroscopic mechanical shredding, cleaning and reprocessing. As a result, the properties degrade relative to the virgin polymer. Chemical decomposition to the original monomer would enable more thorough purification and then repolymerization to restore ideal performance. Here, Hyun Suk Wang and colleagues report the discovery that in dichlorobenzene solvent, violet light irradiation ...

High-performance computing (HPC) systems – advanced computing ensembles that harness deliver massive processing power – are used for a range of applications, and the demand for them has increased with the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI). However, for both traditional uses and to advance the power of AI, technical advances in HPC are greatly needed, say Ewa Deelman and colleagues in a Policy Forum. “With international competition for leadership in computing intensifying, without a renewed commitment, ...

Scientists have discovered a potentially greener way to produce a crucial industrial chemical used to make many everyday products from plastics and textiles to antifreeze and disinfectants, according to a new study published in Science and co-authored by  Tulane University chemical engineer Matthew Montemore. The breakthrough could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacture of ethylene oxide, which has an estimated $40 billion global market. The current production process requires chlorine, which is toxic and ...

Safety critical components for aircraft and Formula 1 racing cars could one day be 3D printed via a new technique, developed by researchers at UCL and the University of Greenwich, that substantially reduces imperfections in the manufacturing process. The technique was developed after the team used advanced X-ray imaging to observe the causes of imperfections that formed in complex 3D printed metal alloy components. If this technique becomes widely deployed it could make a range of these components, from artificial hip joints to aircraft parts, stronger and more durable. The study, published in Science, observes the forces at play during ...

Rapid, localized heat management is essential for electronic devices and could have applications ranging from wearable materials to burn treatment. While so-called thermoelectric materials convert temperature differences to electrical voltage and vice versa, their efficiency is often limited, and their production is costly and wasteful. In a new paper published in Science, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) used a 3D printing technique to fabricate high-performance thermoelectric materials, reducing production costs significantly. Thermoelectric coolers, also called solid-state ...

Addressing the Challenge of Dispersed Data For years, adipose tissue research has generated vast amounts of omics data, but these datasets remained scattered across different repositories, making comprehensive analysis challenging. Adiposetissue.org now brings insights together, integrating transcriptomic and proteomic with clinical data from more than 6,000 individuals, enabling researchers to explore obesity-related changes, weight-loss effects, and cellular mechanisms with unprecedented depth. “We developed ...

Building on more than two decades of research, a study by MIT neuroscientists at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory reports a new way to treat pathology and symptoms of fragile X syndrome, the most common genetically-caused autism spectrum disorder. The team showed that augmenting a novel type of neurotransmitter signaling reduced hallmarks of fragile X in mouse models of the disorder. The new approach described in Cell Reports works by targeting a specific molecular subunit of  “NMDA” receptors that they discovered plays a key role in how neurons synthesize ...

In their effort to answer a decades-old biological question about how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is able to establish infection of liver cells, research led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), Weill Cornell Medicine, and The Rockefeller University identified a vulnerability that opens the door to new treatments. The team successfully disrupted the virus’s ability to infect human liver cells in the laboratory using a compound already in clinical trials against cancer — laying the ...

Large birds – our closest relations to dinosaurs - are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food. This is the first time scientists have been able to show that palaeognath birds such as emus and rheas can solve tricky problems. In the study, published today in Scientific Reports, emus, which have previously been called the ‘world’s dumbest bird’ were able to create one new technique to access food (lining up a hole with a food chamber) and moved the hole in the most efficient direction towards food in 90% of cases. A male rhea ...

New York, NY [February 20, 2025]—Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have identified novel genetic interactions that may contribute to congenital heart disease (CHD), a common birth defect. Details on their findings were reported in the February 20 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.01.024]. “Our research reveals the potential for digenic inheritance—where two genes work together to cause disease—expanding our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of congenital heart ...

About The Study: The results of this study suggest a modest increase in the risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy among individuals with type 2 diabetes associated with semaglutide use, smaller than that previously reported, and warranting further investigation into the clinical implications of this association.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Cindy X. Cai, MD, MS, email ccai6@jhmi.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.6555) Editor’s ...

About The Study: This cohort study found significant inequities in incidence of behavioral flags in the electronic health record among racially and socioeconomically marginalized pediatric patients. This finding was most pronounced for Black or African American patients younger than 8 years, suggesting that this phenomenon may be a response to Black families rather than specific patient behavior. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, April Edwell, MD, MAEd, email April.edwell@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.61079) Editor’s ...

Paxlovid does not significantly reduce COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality among vaccinated older adults, according to new UCLA-led research. The study questions the assumption that Paxlovid’s effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in unvaccinated adults also applies to vaccinated adults. Pfizer’s 2022 clinical trial found reduced COVID-19 hospitalization in unvaccinated middle-aged adults; while a subsequent 2024 clinical trial found no significant reduction in vaccinated middle-aged adults. Since most older Americans have already received two or more COVID-19 vaccines, Paxlovid’s effectiveness on vaccinated ...

Biomedical metal implant materials are widely used in clinical applications, including dental implants, hip replacement, bone plates, and screws. However, traditional manufacturing processes face limitations in meeting customized medical needs, internal structural control, and efficient material utilization. For example, when producing complex-shaped titanium alloy parts using conventional methods, the material consumption ratio is as high as 10:1-20:1, leading to significant material waste. As a result, ...

Introduction Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defenses, plays a central role in the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, neurodegenerative conditions, cancer, and liver and kidney diseases, are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants serve as the body’s primary defense against ROS, maintaining redox homeostasis and preventing cellular damage. However, when ROS levels exceed the capacity of antioxidant defenses, oxidative stress ensues, contributing ...

New research shows that turtles are responding to climate change by nesting earlier. Researchers monitoring nesting green and loggerhead turtles in Cyprus have discovered they are returning to their regular nesting spots earlier each year to compensate for rising temperatures. In sea turtles, temperature determines the biological sex of offspring, with more females born when it is warmer, as well as fewer successful hatchings when it gets too hot. Turtles also have “natal philopatry”, which means they return to nest in the area where they themselves hatched. A research team from the University of Exeter and the Society for the Protection of ...

A new study from Western New England University (WNE) has revealed that long-term grape consumption significantly impacts muscle health, with notable benefits for both men and women. The research, published in the journal Foods, suggests that a diet including grapes can modify gene expression in muscle, potentially offering a new nutritional strategy for maintaining muscle mass and function.  Around 30 million tons of grapes are consumed every year, and their benefits extend beyond nutrition. Grapes have been shown to ...

INDIANAPOLIS – Chronic pain is complex and difficult to treat. Prescribing opioid pain medications has become controversial but may help some patients. With the goal of informing clinician practice, a new study explores the harms and benefits of continuing and of discontinuing the long-term prescription of opioid medicines to adults with chronic pain. The authors analyzed the opinions of 28 experts on the harms versus benefits of maintaining, tapering or terminating opioid pain medication prescriptions ...

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has announced the 2025 class of Senior Members, comprised of 162 emerging inventors from NAI’s Member Institutions. This year’s class of NAI Senior Members is the largest to date and hails from 64 NAI Member Institutions across the nation. Collectively, they are named inventors on over 1200 U.S. patents.  “To see this program grow year over year is a testament to the dedication our Member Institutions have to fostering innovation on their campuses and supporting their inventive staff ...

Narcissists feel ostracized more frequently than their less self-absorbed peers, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. This may stem not only from being shunned due to their personalities but from a tendency to misinterpret ambiguous social signals as exclusion.     “Feeling ostracized is a subjective experience based on the perception of social cues by the individual. Some may be intentionally ostracized, while others may merely believe they are being excluded when that’s not the case,” said lead author Christiane Büttner, PhD, of the University of Basel. “Our findings suggest that ...

The intestinal epithelium is a highly dynamic barrier that regulates digestion, absorption, immune responses, and communication between the gut microbiota and the nervous system. To maintain homeostasis, intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) must efficiently manage protein production and secretion, a process tightly controlled by the unfolded protein response (UPR). New research published in eGastroenterology demonstrates that disruptions in the UPR contribute to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), colorectal cancer, and other gut-related disorders. This highlights potential therapeutic strategies to restore ...